Church backs Maryland effort to reward businesses that aid education

Published: 2006-03-01

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- With the strong backing of the Maryland Catholic Conference, a Maryland state senator is introducing a bill that would provide significant business tax credits to corporations and small businesses that support tuition scholarship programs and other K-12 education initiatives. Modeled on Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit, the Maryland bill would allow businesses to claim a 75 percent state tax credit for donations to 501(c)(3) organizations that provide tuition scholarships at nonpublic schools. Scholarship programs such as Partners in Excellence, the Cardinal Shehan Scholarship Fund and the Frederick-based Friends of Catholic Education are among the existing scholarship programs that would likely benefit from the proposal, called Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers in Maryland, or BOAST. The program also would reward businesses for helping teachers at nonpublic schools pay for graduate-level course work and professional development, and for assisting extracurricular programs in the public schools.

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